Multiple transplants changed Compton’s life
Isaac Klosterman was 26 when he was killed on his motorcycle in Florida, run over from behind by a man in a pickup truck who fled the scene with Klosterman on his hood for the first 250 feet.
Today Klosterman’s heart beats in the chest of golfer Erik Compton, a 31-year-old two-time transplant recipient. On Sunday in Leon, Mexico, Compton won for the first time on the Nationwide Tour, virtually assuring him a spot on the PGA Tour in 2012.
For years, Compton has been granted sponsor’s exemptions into PGA Tour events. He received one for the AT&T National this week in Newtown Square, Pa., again expecting to tell his amazing story of survival. Now, however, some of the questions he fields are about his golf game.
| AT&T National |
| When » Thursday-Sunday |
| Where » Aronimink CC, |
| Newtown Square, Pa. |
| TV » Golf Channel, CBS |
“I proved to myself I’m more than the guy with two heart transplants,” Compton told reporters after firing a 64 to rally in the final round of the Mexico Open. “I do get a lot of opportunities to play in PGA Tour events because of my story. But now I’ve pretty much secured my tour card, I’ll get into events on that alone.”
On Thursday afternoon at Aronimink Country Club, Compton will tee off in an elite threesome with Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan.
Compton’s victory didn’t come from out of the blue. This has been the best year of his career. He has made the cut in all four of his PGA Tour events and eight of nine on the Nationwide Tour. Since his 2008 transplant, Compton’s stamina and game have improved dramatically.
“The whole package has really come together after about three years,” Compton told reporters Wednesday at Aronimink. “The biggest thing that I’ve done differently … is getting a lot of rest, so when the tournament starts I’m ready to play.”
At age 9 Compton was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart to enlarge. Three years later, Compton had a heart attack and underwent his first transplant. As part of his recovery, Compton took up golf and quickly became one of the best junior players in the nation, earning a scholarship to Georgia.
While still in college and playing in his first PGA Tour event in his hometown of Miami, Compton made the cut at Doral. The following summer, a year from graduation, Compton turned pro, but success didn’t follow. He struggled with his stamina, often fading in the final rounds of tournaments.
When he suffered his second heart attack three years ago, Compton had to wait six months for surgery. But the death of Klosterman, a former college volleyball player, provided life for Compton. The heart has been as close to a perfect match for Compton as doctors could have hoped.
“Everybody knows I’m the guy with two hearts, and that outspeaks the golf. It always will. It’s such a crazy, crazy story,” Compton said. “I think my message of organ transplant and what it does for other people that are waiting and people who are going through it just speaks volumes.”
